Reviews

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

MGS games are about sneaking -- that's what puts the "Tactical" in Tactical Espionage Action. But large chunks of Snake Eater take place in jungles, forests and swamps, so the basic gameplay has evolved somewhat. Snake's footsteps now make noise, so he has a new "stalking" mode that lets him creep up slowly behind baddies. He also must rely on camouflaged uniforms and face paint to help remain hidden. A number keeps you appraised of just how hard he is to see against the current backdrop, and new duds can be donned in the "Survival Viewer" subscreen. While the idea is neat, camouflage is basically just a number to monitor, and not a terribly interesting one.

Snake also has to eat, and pre-cooked rations aren't as common as they were before. The upshot? You're gonna have to do some hunting. Eating food replenishes stamina, while stamina slowly replenishes Snake's life bar. This system is very well-balanced; stamina lasts a good long time, but strenuous activities like carrying too many heavy guns outside of Snake's apparently magical, weight-nullifying backpack will drain it faster. That backpack can carry plenty of food, too, so you can take long breaks between hunting, maybe killing an opportunistic rat here and there to keep full. The new eating / stamina / lifebar system works great, and the unlimited health restoration (among other, optional features) makes the game pleasingly friendly to newbies.

The last survival-oriented gameplay addition comes in wounds. Basically, every time Snake gets hit or hurt he has a chance of being wounded. Each wound reduces his maximum lifebar length, and can only be cured through time or by using medical items in the Survival Viewer. Medical items are common, and wounds heal at a fair pace by themselves. As with camouflage the impact on gameplay is minimal, and wounds just seem like another busywork-like detail ... and another excuse to enter the Survival Viewer. Between camouflage, eating, wound-mending and especially map-viewing I got pretty sick of that screen.

Some of the camo get-ups are just for fun. Or Halloween.

Shoot the Camera

Despite all your efforts sneaking, you will get caught. The flawed camera system deems it so. Luckily, Snake is tougher than ever thanks to the new Close Quarters Combat (CQC) system. Simply equip a knife and Snake is ready to engage. He can grab enemies and slam them to the ground, causing an instant knockout. Or he can get them by the neck, after which he can interrogate, use 'em as a shield, or simply cut their jugular. These new moves add immensely to the fun of the combat; it's especially cool to take a human shield and pick off the other baddies one-by-one. Outside of CQC, the weapon variety is excellent. There's something for every style of play.